


Sister, Sister

by amythis



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2018-08-30 16:56:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8541241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amythis/pseuds/amythis
Summary: Judy and Nick visit her sister the nun on Outback Island.  (No guarantee I'll finish this, so just enjoy it as a fragment for now.)





	1. Nunny Bunny

"So. The rabbit with a habit. The prayer hare. The nunny bunny."

Judy braked suddenly. Not hard enough to send Nick to the floor of the squad car but enough to get him to stop for the moment. "Nick."

"I'm just surprised. I thought you were the only unconventional one in the family."

She almost missed that one and then she shot him a look. Yes, that sly smile meant it was a stealth pun. She shook her head and stepped on the gas again.

Nick wasn't entirely wrong about Mary Catherine. In a different way, their mom had been disappointed about that daughter's career choice. Judy the cop was unlikely to have kits, especially since she got engaged to a fox, but obviously MC never would have any. And while MC didn't have the active, dangerous job Judy had, she had decided that the quiet, contemplative life wasn't for her. So she'd left the convent to work among the downtrodden and marsupial of Outback Island.

"The O.I.," as Nick and other hipsters called it, was part of Zootopia and yet on the outskirts in a different way than, for instance, the Canal District was. The CD was seedy but definitely part of the City, while Outbackers sometimes felt neglected by the decision-makers Downtown, and other times took pride in their separateness. Not too long ago, during the Stinky Cheese Caper and related cases, there'd been controversy over a bridge that had "bypassed and overpassed" the island, with no offramps to the OI, although the new mayor, Vince Mousawitz, had worked to change that.

Still, there was this lingering divide. The Island had also been divided within itself a year ago, when Bellwether had scapegoated predators, but even the tigers and "devils" of the Tasmanian neighborhood were more accepted by their fellow Outbackers than the Mainlanders were. (The Mainlanders in contrast mostly didn't give the Outbackers any thought, except as the punchlines of jokes.)

"So how did she decide to be an outdoor nun?"

Judy shook her head although Nick sounded relatively serious now. "The term is extern."

"Is that the opposite of an intern?"

"Uh, no. And she just felt like she could help animals better in the larger world."

"But why the OI?"

"Because everyone forgets about this district. And she knows what it's like to be overlooked."

"Because there are almost 300 of you?"

She rolled her eyes. "I don't mean by our parents. I mean the way bunnies get underestimated."

"Hey, not by me. Well, not since I met you."

She nodded. "Good. But anyway, she's a nun and a bunny and she's soft-spoken. But I think that helps. The Outbackers accept her more than they might another Mainlander. And she didn't grow up in the City of course but out in the Tri-Burrows."

"Right. So, judging from what you've told me, she's pretty open-minded about other species, right?"

"Of course. She sees us all as brothers and sisters. I mean, not just our siblings. But all mammals."

"So what's her stand on the inter-species thing?"

Judy sighed. Her family had run the gamut from utter acceptance, including her youngest siblings, who adored Nick and wanted to hug his tail, to, well, not hostility, but suspicion towards this supposedly reformed con-fox who had swept Judy off her paws. Her parents certainly hadn't refused their blessing, but they were concerned. It was partly the "no kits" thing and partly that there was still prejudice against predators, particularly the few predators who were involved with prey.

"Does that sigh mean she doesn't approve?"

"It means I haven't told her yet."

"Why not?"

"Well, you and I just got engaged last month and I haven't seen her since we were both home for Easter. I was going to," she said defensively.

"OK."

"And now that we've got this case on the Island, it's a good excuse to see her."

"And tell her?"

"Yes, of course."

"OK." He took a sip of coffee and then asked, "Do you think she witnessed anything?"

"Probably not, although I'll ask. As part of the investigation and because she'd obviously be more comfortable telling me than another cop. But even if she can't give us any clues, she may be able to be the go-between for us with the Outbackers. They seem to really trust and accept her."

"Yeah, but we're not her. We're cops."

"Well, yes, but we're outsiders."

"Are we still?"

She knew what he meant. They'd started out as cops with a difference. The first bunny cop, the first fox cop. Their species were still atypical for the ZPD. But greater acceptance, which came with time and with success, meant that they were no longer the bad-tail rogues. Nick joked sometimes that they hadn't sold out, they'd just become the ideal. And Bogo hardly even yelled at them anymore.

"How can I be a rebel when I'm the establishment?" Nick asked now.

"Well, maybe we can screw up this case."

"Yeah, but even when we screw up, it seems to work for us. Success through failure."

She laughed and patted his paw that wasn't holding the coffee cup. Then she took the offramp for the OI.


	2. Outback Stakeout

As Nick sat sideways in a chair and sketched in his notepad, he thought about what a long time a year was. A year ago, Bellwether had divided Zootopia and divided Nick from Judy. He still wasn't sure which had been more painful. Oh, he'd told himself that he was better off without that speciesist rabbit and her phony "tolerance," but before she put that big, fluffy, not always lucky foot in her mouth, Judy had seemed to be the first mammal to really care about him since he was a kit. And there were times he'd blamed himself for both divisions. What if he'd returned Judy's messages, let her explain herself? What if he'd helped her put clues together in such a way that it wouldn't have played right into Bellwether's hooves? Yes, things were better now, for him and Judy and for the city, but that didn't mean that scars didn't remain. Being "heroes" didn't really help that.

Ever since the Junior Ranger Scouts, Nick had learned to wear his outcast status as a badge of pride, substituting it for badges for things like Helpfulness, Loyalty, and Whittling. And here he was, the confox, wearing the ZPD badge. He was on the other side of the law, but partly because he'd helped bring down an authority figure, the mayor, by breaking several laws, including trespassing in a museum that was undergoing remodeling. Oh, and wrecking an abandoned train. Every day was full of irony, which helped keep him going. But he wouldn't be here at all, in this abandoned warehouse especially, if he hadn't fallen under the spell of an anal-retentive, overly optimistic, opposite-attractive female prey.

He didn't call it love at first. He wasn't even sure he liked her till she saved his life. And they were buddies, pals, platonic best friends, even when he thought he hated her, and hated himself for having liked her.

The romance began a few months ago. They were paired up as partners at the ZPD the moment he graduated from the Academy, despite Bogo's misgivings. "But, as I can't imagine anyone else putting up with either of you, we'll try this for now." "Now" had become permanent, so far, and that had added another layer to the long mental list of "Why it would be idiotic to get involved with Fluff, despite these feelings which I'm sure are temporary anyway."

So the two pals were hanging out watching _Married with Cubs_ , a 30-year-old sitcom, in fact the first fox sitcom, at Nick's place. Judy didn't have a television, and even if she did, they knew whatever they watched, her nosy neighbors would listen to through the walls. (She still liked to work out to the playlist on her phone, despite complaints, some of them from Nick.) Nick lived in a sound-proofed basement and his neighbors didn't care what he did.

The two buddies were laughing at the dated raunchy humor when Judy suddenly asked, "How do foxes kiss?"

He turned and stared at her. Was this another of her foot-in-her-mouth remarks or was she flirting? "Excuse me?"

She turned a little red under her gray cheeks. "I mean, where do the snouts go?"

"We tilt our heads."

"Oh."

He hesitated before asking, "How do bunnies kiss?" Then he snarkily added, "Or do you just rub those cute little button noses?", so she wouldn't think he was flirting.

"Um, like this." Then she leaned over, tilting her head so that his nose landed in one of her long ears, and she smooched him right on the mouth!

They were both blushing when she stopped, although it was probably less obvious on Nick.

"I'm sorry, Nick," she began, but he cut off her explanation with a kiss.

And they'd kissed a lot in the months since. Never at work, tempting as it was. They didn't want to be fired. At the least, Bogo would split up their professional partnership. It turned out they weren't fooling anyone, but it wasn't until Clawhauser said, "Let me know when you two move in together, so I can update the paperwork," that they started to worry.

A week after that, a very long week in a very long year, Chief Bogo called them in and said, "It has come to my attention that the two of you are 'an item.' I have weighed the pros and cons of splitting you up, but I have decided to leave you intact. For now."

The way that Bogo said it, Nick wasn't sure if he meant splitting them up professionally or romantically. Or maybe he was jokingly threatening to tear them limb from limb to keep them out of each other's arms. Nick and Judy thanked him and didn't discuss the conversation till they went to dinner that night, Chez Cheez in Little Rodentia.

"I'm glad we're still partners," she said.

"Me, too," he said.

"I want to be with you for a very long time."

"Me, too." Their eyes met but he felt self-conscious about kissing her in public, especially in a fast food joint where they already stood out as the tallest mammals there.

He took another bite of his Cheese Galore Squeaky Burger, and then almost choked on it when she asked, "Do you think we should make it permanent?"

He took a deep sip of his soyshake before he said, "Carrots, did you just propose to me?"

She blushed. "Um, no, not unless you want to take it that way."

He looked around the restaurant, as if expecting the mice, rats, hamsters, squirrels, etc. to be looking at them in horror. But she hadn't said it that loudly, and she hadn't gotten down on one knee, so everyone continued eating their fast food quickly. "I'm not sure how to take it," he admitted.

"I'm not either. I mean, I, I'm sorry but I have feelings for you, not just romantic feelings but build-a-life-with feelings. Even though I know how mismatched we are."

"Yeah."

"But I also think we balance each other really well, bring out the best in each other."

"What about kits?" he whispered.

She shook her head. "I'm a cop, Nick. I know some officers could raise kits and pursue their careers, but I can't. I'm an all-or-nothing kind of gal."

"Yeah."

"And I've got all my little brothers and sisters, and some nieces and nephews, so it's not like there won't be kits in my life. But if that matters to you, if you think you'd be happier with a vixen, then I understand."

"Fluff, no one could make me happier than you. But I'm happy now. Why do we have to change that?"

"I'm not saying let's elope to Las Vicunas tonight. It could be a long engagement, long enough to think everything through."

"So a century? Or a week?"

"Let's compromise and say a year."

Well, a year was a long time. And they were only one month into the engagement. He'd remet most of her family, now as the fiance, to their shock and horror, surprise and delight, depending on who they were and what they thought Judy's life should be. He'd separately told Flash and Finnick, who respectively said, "Congratulations. Nick. I. Would. Be. Honored. To. Be. Your. Best. Man," and "Well, I know you didn't put a bun in the oven, so I guess you love her and I'll be your best man if you insist," when he hadn't got any further than, "Um, I'm going to marry Carrots."

He was a little nervous about meeting her sister the sister. A nun might expect Judy to marry someone more respectable. But he was curious about Mary Catherine, and she did sound like she wasn't a typical nun. This case in the OI was a good excuse to have Judy introduce him.

But, as so often happens in life, especially Nick's life, he got sidetracked. Clawhauser called and said, "Chief Bogo says that while you're on Outback Island you should go check out an abandoned warehouse at 1313 Possum Place." Clawhauser's voice dropped to a shocked whisper, "There's a report that it's a meat club!"

Judy gagged but in some ways she was still the sheltered doe from Bunnyburrow. Nick was older and had been around, living on the streets since before he was twelve. He'd never been to a meat club but he'd met people who had.

"We're on it," he told Clawhauser. Judy silently nodded. He waited till after Clawhauser wished them luck and signed off before he said, "Fluff, you can go see your sister if you want. I can do this alone."

She shook her head and earnestly said, "It's my job, Nick."

He knew better than to argue with that. So instead he said, "Outback Stakeout. Or I guess in this case, 'steakout' with an E-A-K."

She rolled her eyes at his joke that was in poor taste on many levels. But he'd lately taken to punning with her as a way to ease tension, and it mostly worked.

And here they were an hour later, watching from 1314 Possum Place, in the warehouse across the street. They had only one set of binoculars with them and she'd bravely agreed to take first watch. So Nick sketched her from the back and thought about the past and the future.

Until she gasped, "Oh, sweet cheese and crackers! That's MC!" And he knew better than to joke, "MC Hammy? Is he wearing parachute pants?"


End file.
